Clip and seal package



0, 1968 o. E. SEIFERTH ETAL 3,397,775

CLIP AND SEAL PACKAGE Filed Dec. 22, 1965 [nae/275% 0550/ E fiez'ferfio,Glerzrz M (26492277 fiza wamh 5 United States Patent 3,397,775 CLIP ANDSEAL PACKAGE Oscar E. Seiferth and Glenn M. Austin, Madison, Wis.,assignors to Oscar Mayer & Co., Inc., Chicago, 11]., a corporation ofIllinois Filed Dec. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 515,629 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-46)This invention relates to packaging and is more particularly concernedwith improvements in a package of the type in which the product isencased in a tube of thin pliable film material with closure means atopposite ends and in a method and apparatus for forming the same.

One form of package which has been used extensively in commerce forpackaging various materials including meat products, cheese and otherfoods, is produced by continuously forming a-tube on a hollow fillingmandrel, feeding the material to be packaged through the mandrel andinto the tube, and dividing the filled tube into a series of packages byconstricting the tube at intervals, applying pairs of closure formingwire ties or metal clips about the constricted tube portions and cuttingor severing the tube between the same. Such a package and the method andapparatus for forming the same is disclosed in Eberman and Jensen PatentNo. 2,831,302, dated Apr. 22, 1958. Another form of this package haslong been employed in the marketing of a variety of products which isproduced in a similar manner with the filled tube being flattened atintervals and the closures formed by applying transverse heat seals tothe flattened tube areas. This form of package is disclosed in ZwoyerPatent No. 1,986,422, dated Jan. 1, 1935 and Stokes Patent No.2,257,823, dated Oct. 7, 1941. While both of these packages have enjoyedsubstantial commercial success, the use thereof has been confined to alimited number of products primarily because neither type of package hasbeen considered appropriate for products of the character which makes ithighly desirable to market them in a package which may be more readilyopened than either of the packages referred to. In the marketing of somematerials it is highly desirable to be able to open the package withoutbreaking through the walls of the container which is generally necessaryin opening the two conventional forms of this type package. It is alsodesirable to be able to leave part of the product in the container andto close the same so as to protect the remaining product. Accordingly,it is an object of the present invention to provide a package oftube-like or pillowlike form which is closed at its opposite ends byflat and gathered seals, respectively, with the seal at the gathered endbeing preferably operable Without rupturing adjoining wall portions soas to permit closing thereof after removal of the package contents or aportion thereof.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a package whereinone end of a tubular container body is closed by a flat, transverse heatseal of a permanent nature while the other end is gathered and closed bya clip or tie member preferably of a material which will permit of itsremoval without destruction of the adjoining material in the containerbody.

A still more specific object of the invention is to provide a packageand a method and apparatus for forming the same wherein a web ofrelatively thin, pliant, heat sealable film is formed into a tube abouta filling mandrel, the tube is filled with a product fed through themandrel and the filled tube is constricted and closed at intervals toprovide a series of packages with alternate closures comprising a flattransverse heat seals extending transversely of the longitudinal axis ofthe tube and wire clips or ties encompassing gathered portions of thetube which are axially spaced relative to the transverse seals so as toform the mouth of the package with the latter being openable by removalof the associated closure clip when the gathered tube portions are cutso as to free the packages.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom a consideration of the package, and the method and apparatus forforming the same which are shown by way of illustration in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a package which incorporates theprincipal features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, with portions bro-ken away, illustratingan apparatus for forming the package; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2, to anenlarged scale and with portions broken away.

Referring to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG- URE 1 a package10 embodying the principal features of the invention. The package 10comprises a tubular body 11 formed of relatively thin pliable sheetmaterial which is heat scalable and which is closed at the bottomforming end by a flat heat seal 12 extending transversely of thelongitudinal axis of the tube 10. The other end 13 of the package isgathered and closed by a closure forming member which is preferably ametal clip 14 of a character which can be removed without the use oftools so as to leave the mouth forming end of the package free forreclosing when only part of the product 15 is removed therefrom.

The preferred method of forming the package 10 and apparatus suitablefor carrying out the same is illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3. Thepackages 10 are formed by the machine in a continuous connected stringor series of predetermined size or length and separated by severingbetween pairs of end closures applied thereto. The machine illustratedin Jensen and Eberman Patent No. 2,831,- 302 may be employed withmodifications hereinafter referred to in the manufacture of the packageand details of the machine not described herein will be found in theaforementioned patent.

Material for forming the package 10 preferably is supplied in the formof a continuous web or film 20 from a suitable supply roll (not shown).Film such as saran, Pliofilm, polyethylene or similar material whichwill form a thin pliant skin-like casing is suitable. The tube formingfilm 20 is fed beneath a guide bar 21 and over a cross bar 22, both ofwhich extend transversely of the long axis of a vertically disposedhollow filling mandrel 23 the latter having a suitable extension 24 forconnection with a product supply line. The web 20 is guided over aforming plate 30 which is cut and shaped to form a collar around themandrel 23 and which reverses the direction of the web 20 and guides theedges thereof downwardly into overlapping tube forming relation aroundthe mandrel 23. The forming plate 30 may be secured on the cross bar 22.The web 20, guided by the plate 30, forms a continuous tube withoverlapping edges which are sealed by a sealing mechanism indicated at25. The particular type of sealing mechanism will be dictated by thesealing characteristics of the web 20 and it may be an electronicsealing apparatus when a film such as saran is employed or it may be astraight heat sealing bar when polyethylene or similar film material isemployed.

The bottom end of the filling mandrel 23 terminates at a ring 26 whichis of suflicient diameter to frictionally engage the interior surface ofthe tube and to form a barrier against upward pressure of the materialbeing packaged. The tube is drawn down from the end of the mandrel by apair of feed rollers 27 supported on traverse shafts 28 which areconnected with the drive mechanism (not shown) for the'machine. Thetube, after passing the barrier ring 26, tends to flatten out with therollers 27 being engaged in paired relation at oppositely disposed sideportions of the walls of the filled tube and gripping fiat folds onopposite sides of the tube, thereby positively feeding the tubecontinuously downward to a tube con stricting or gathering and sealinghead 30 which is mounted for vertical reciprocation below the feedrollers 27.

The sealing head 30 carries two sets of tube constricting and sealingmechanisms which are operative in paths at right angles to each otherand which are arranged for alternate engagement with the tube so as toprovide two different types of seals at predetermined spaced intervalsrelative to the longitudinal axis of the tube. One set of sealingmechanisms 31 may be of the same character as disclosed in Patent No.2,831,802 comprising reciprocating pairs of co-operating tube gatheringplates 32 and associated mechanism for gathering the tube and applyingpairs of wire clips or sealing elements 14 in the same manner as set outin the aforesaid patent. The other set of sealing mechanisms 32comprises a pair of heat sealing bars 35 disposed on opposite sides ofthe tube and adapted to be reciprocated towards each other to flattenthe tube and apply transverse heat seals 12 in the manner described inPatent No. 2,257,823. The seal forming mechanisms 31 1. A packagecomprising a fiowable product encased in a tubular container which is ofpillow-like form and fabricated of a relatively thin, pliant, heatsealable rfilm material, the bottom forming end of said container havinga closure forming fiat heat seal extending transversely of thelongitudinal axis of the container andthe topend of said containerhaving top marginal portions of the side wall gathered into a tightlycompacted cylindrical tube section and a tie member of relatively rigiddeformable material encompassing the gathered tube material and adaptedto hold the same in tightly compacted sealed relation, said tie memberbeing adapted to be removed without rupturing the container material soas to enable the package to be readily opened and reclosed.

2. A package as recited in claim 1, and said tie member being arelatively stiff bendable metal clip encircling the gathered tubematerial. I

" We claim:

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,079,067 2/ 1963 Hill 229-3,107,842 10/1963 Guilfoyle 229-62 FOREIGN PATENTS 675,960 7/1952 GreatBritain. 1,181,283 1/1959 France.

WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Exan ziner.

1. A PACKAGE COMPRISING A FLOWABLE PRODUCT ENCASED IN A TUBULARCONTAINER WHICH IS OF PILLOW-LIKE FORM AND FIBRICATED TO A RELATIVELYTHIN, PLIANT, HEAT SEALABLE FILM MATERIAL, THE BOTTOM FORMING END OFSAID CONTAINER HAVING A CLOSURE FORMING FLAT HEAT SEAL EXTENDINGTRANSVERSELY OF THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE CONTAINER AND THE TOP ENDOF SAID CONTAINER HAVING TOP MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE SIDE WALL GATHEREDINTO A TIGHTLY COMPACTED CYLINDRICAL TUBE SECTION AND A TIE MEMBER OFRELATIVELY RIGID DEFORMABLE MATERIAL ENCOMPASSING THE GATHERED TUBEMATERIAL AND ADAPTED TO HOLD THE SAME IN TIGHTLY COMPACTED SEALEDRELATION, SAID TIE MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT RUPTURINGTHE CONTAINER MATERIAL SO AS TO ENABLE THE PACKAGE TO BE READILY OPENEDAND RECLOSED.